Water supply apparatus and method of drum-type washing machine

ABSTRACT

An water supply apparatus and its method of a drum-type washing machine includes a rotation pump for rotating washing water supplied into a tub, and a spray nozzle for spraying washing water supplied from the rotation pump into the drum.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a drum type washing machine, andparticularly, to a water supply apparatus and its method of a drum typewashing machine.

2. Description of the Background Art

In general, a washing machine is machinery for performing washing,rinsing, and dehydrating, to launder laundry. Washing machines arelargely divided into a pulsator-type, an agitator-type and a drum typeaccording to washing methods.

Lately, good washing capability and also easier use become veryimportant factors considered when a customer purchase a washing machine.So, development of a convenient product has been accelerated, especiallya drum-type washing machine which can wash laundry without damage isdrawing attention of the market. A water supply apparatus of thedrum-type washing machine will now be described with reference to FIG.1.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically illustrating a structure of adrum-type washing machine according to the conventional art.

As shown therein, the conventional drum-type washing machine includes atub 12 installed inside a cabinet 11; a drum 13 installed inside the tub12; a plurality of lifts 15 installed at a predetermined region of theinside of the drum; a rotation shaft 14 coupled to the drum to rotatethe drum; and a driving motor 16 rotating the washing.

A water supply method of the drum-type washing machine according to theconventional art constructed as above will now be described.

First, a user puts laundry inside the drum 13, and presses a startbutton for starting washing. When the start button is pressed, thedrum-type washing machine supplies washing water to the tub 12. Thesupplied washing water is heated by a heater (not shown) positioned at alower portion of the tub until its temperature reaches to a settemperature, and the heated washing water soaks in the laundry throughrotation of the drum 13. Herein, since the washing water soaks in thelaundry through the rotation of the drum 13, a water level of thewashing water should be higher than a height of the lift installed atthe lowest region inside the drum 13.

Thereafter, the driving motor 16 rotates the rotation shaft 14, andforwardly and backwardly rotates the drum according to the rotation ofthe rotation shaft 14. A plurality of lifts 15 installed at apredetermined region in the drum 13 lifts up or down the laundryaccording to the rotation of the drum. Thus, the drum-type washingmachine can wash the laundry in the drum 13.

The water supply method of the drum-type washing machine will now bedescribed in detail. First, the washing water is supplied up to apredetermined upper water level inside the tub 12 according to theamount of laundry, and the supplied washing water soaks in the laundrythrough rotation of the drum. Then, when a water level of the washingwater is lower than the predetermined lower water level since thewashing water has soaked in the laundry, washing water is resupplied.Such a process is repeatedly performed whereby the water level of thewashing water is higher than the predetermined lower water level. Atthis time, it is determined that the washing water sufficiently hassoaked in the laundry, and so the supply of washing water is terminated,and washing is performed.

As so far described, when washing water is supplied by the water supplymethod of the drum-type washing machine according to the conventionalart, a water level should always be higher than the lifts installed atthe lowest region in the drum, and thus a large amount of water isunnecessarily consumed.

In addition, when washing water is supplied by the water supply methodof the drum-type washing machine according to the conventional art, alarge amount of water which is unnecessary, has to be heated through theheater, and thus a large amount of power is consumed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a watersupply apparatus and its method of a drum-type washing machine capableof economizing washing water by rotating washing water which is suppliedto a tub, into a drum through a rotation pump.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water supplyapparatus and its method of a drum-type washing machine capable ofreducing a amount of consumed power by rotating washing water which issupplied to a tub, into a drum through a rotation pump.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein,there is provided a water supply apparatus of a drum-type washingmachine according to the conventional art including a rotation pump forrotating washing water supplied into a tub of a drum-type washingmachine; and a spray nozzle for spraying washing water, which has beensupplied from the rotation pump, into a drum,

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein,there is provided a water supply method of a drum-type washing machineaccording to the present invention including supplying washing water upto a predetermined upper water level inside of a tub of a drum-typewashing machine; rotating the supplied washing water through a rotationpump; and terminating the supply of the washing water when a state thata water level of the washing water is higher than the predeterminedlower water level is maintained for a predetermined time.

The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of thepresent invention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of the present invention when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute aunit of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional schematically illustrating a structure of adrum-type washing machine according to the conventional art;

FIG. 2 is a view schematically illustrating a structure of a drum-typewashing machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view for describing a principle of a water supplyapparatus in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a water supply method of a drum-typewashing machine according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

Hereinafter, a preferable embodiment of a water supply apparatus and itsmethod of a drum-type washing machine capable of economizing water, andreducing the amount of consumed power by rotating water which issupplied to a tub, into a drum through a rotation pump will now bedescribed in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a view schematically illustrating a structure of a drum-typewashing machine according to the present invention.

As shown therein, a drum-type washing machine according to the presentinvention includes a tub 25 installed inside a cabinet 20; a drum 26installed inside the tub; an inflow tube 21 supplying detergent to thetub 25, and through which washing water is flowed into the tub 25; anoutflow tube 27 through which the washing water flowed into the tub isflowed out; a rotation pump 28 for rotating washing water flowed outfrom the outflow tube 27; a rotation tube 24 receiving washing waterfrom the rotation pump 28; and a spray nozzle 23 for spraying washingwater supplied from the rotation tube 24 into the drum 26.

A principle of a water supply apparatus of the drum-type washing machineaccording to the present invention constructed as above will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view for describing a principle of the watersupply apparatus in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the water supply apparatus of the drum-type washingmachine according to the present invention supplies washing water to thetub 25 through the inflow tube 21. Herein, the washing water is suppliedas much as a predetermined upper water level (L0) in the tub 25.

The rotation pump 28 supplies the supplied washing water to the rotationtube 24 through the outflow tube 27, and the rotation tube 24 suppliesthe supplied washing water to the spray nozzle 23. Herein, the spraynozzle 23 is installed at a predetermined region of an upper portion ofthe inside of the drum 26.

The spray nozzle 23 makes the washing water soak in the laundry byspraying the supplied washing water into the drum 26. When a water levelof the washing water becomes lower than the predetermined lower waterlevel (L1) as the laundry is soaked with washing water, the washingwater is resupplied to the tub 25 through the inflow tube 21 as much asthe predetermined upper water level (L0).

On the other hand, when the water level is higher than the predeterminedlower water level (L1), it is checked whether a predetermined timeelapses. When the predetermined time elapses, the washing machineterminates the washing water supply. Within the determined time, therotation pump 28 rotates the washing water. Herein, the predeterminedtime means time for which a state that the water level is higher thanthe predetermined lower water level is maintained.

A water supply method of the drum-type washing machine according to thepresent invention constructed as above will now be described withreference to FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a water supply method of thedrum-type washing machine according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the method includes supplying washing water into atub of a drum-type washing machine up to a predetermined upper waterlevel (S41); rotating the supplied washing water through a rotating pump(S42); comparing a water level of the washing water and a predeterminedlower upper level (S43); checking whether the predetermined time elapseswhen the water level of the washing water is higher than thepredetermined lower water level (S44); and terminating washing watersupply when the predetermined time elapses. Herein, in comparing, thewashing water is supplied when the water level of the washing water islower than the predetermined upper water level. In checking, the washingwater is rotated within the predetermined time.

A water supply method of the drum-type washing machine according to thepresent invention as above will now be described in detail.

First, a user puts laundry into the drum, and presses a start button forstarting washing. When the start button is pressed, the drum-typewashing machine supplies washing water to the tub 25 through the inflowtube 21 as much as a predetermined upper water level (L0) (S41). Herein,preferably, the predetermined upper water level (L0) is set to be lowerthan a lowest end portion of the drum.

The rotation pump 28 supplies the supplied washing water to the rotationtube 24 through the outflow tube 27, and the rotation tube 24 suppliesthe supplied washing water to the spray nozzle 23.

The spray nozzle 23 makes the washing water soak in the laundry in thedrum 26 by spraying the supplied washing water (S42). Herein,preferably, the spray nozzle 23 is installed at a predetermined regionof an upper portion of the inside of the drum 26.

At this time, every predetermined period, the water level of the washingwater supplied to the tub and a predetermined lower water level (L1) arecompared (S43). When the water level of the washing water is higher thanthe predetermined lower water level (L1), it is checked whether thepredetermined time elapses (S44). When the water level of the washingwater is lower than the predetermined lower water level (L1), thewashing machine resupplies the washing water through the inflow-tube 21as much as the predetermined upper water level (L0). Herein, preferably,the predetermined lower water level is less than the predetermined upperwater level.

Thereafter, when the predetermined time elapses, the washing machinedetermines that the washing water sufficiently soaks in the laundrythereby terminating the supply of the washing water.

On the other hand, within the predetermined time, the washing machinedetermines that the washing water does not sufficiently soak in thelaundry thereby rotating the washing water through the rotation pump 28.

As so far described, the water supply method of the drum-type washingmachine rotates washing water, which is supplied to a tub, into a drumthrough a rotation pump thereby reducing unnecessarily consumed water.

In addition, the water supply method for the drum-type washing machineaccording to the present invention rotates washing water, which issupplied to the tub, into the drum through the rotation pump, therebyreducing the amount of consumed power.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, itshould also be understood that the above-described embodiments are notlimited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unlessotherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within itsspirit and scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore allchanges and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of theclaims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intendedto be embraced by the appended claims.

1. A water supply apparatus of a drum-type washing machine comprising: a rotation pump for rotating washing water supplied into a tub of a drum-type washing machine; and a spray nozzle for spraying washing water supplied from the rotation pump into the drum.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rotation pump comprises: an outflow tube through which washing water which has been supplied into the tub is flowed out; and a rotation tube through which the washing water which has been flowed out is supplied to the spray nozzle.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the washing water is supplied as much as a predetermined water level.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the predetermined water level is from the lowest end portion of the tub to the lowest end portion of the drum.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spray nozzle is installed at a predetermined region of an upper end portion of the inside the drum.
 6. A water supply method of a drum-type washing machine comprising: supplying washing water into a tub of a drum-type washing machine up to a predetermined upper water level; rotating the supplied washing water through a rotation pump; and terminating the washing water supply when a state that a water level of the washing water is higher than a predetermined lower water level is maintained for a predetermined time.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined upper water level is from the lowest end portion of the tub to the lowest end portion of the drum.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined lower water level is less than the predetermined upper water level.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein said terminating comprises: comparing a water level of the washing water and the predetermined lower water level; checking whether the predetermined time elapses when the water level of the washing water is higher than the predetermined lower water level; and terminating the washing water supply when the predetermined time elapses.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said comparing comprises: supplying washing water when the water level of the washing water is lower than the predetermined lower water level.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein said checking comprises: = rotating washing water within the predetermined time. 